Donetsk Regional State Administration and Rinat Akhmetov Foundation “Development of Ukraine” will join together their efforts for fighting orphanhood

Today, on February 12, in Donetsk the Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between Donetsk Regional State Administration and Rinat Akhmetov Foundation “Development of Ukraine” within the framework of implementing a common project “Meeting children” for 2014-2018.

– I believe that signing the Memorandum means moving in the right direction. We have to raise all our efforts, engage all the key parties – business, charity, authorities, society – all those who agree that every child needs a family. This is the task set for the Foundation by its founder Rinat Akhmetov, – noted Anatoliy Zabolotnyi, Director of the “Development of Ukraine” Foundation. – We must create accurate, targeted, and, above all, high-quality instruments for supporting families in difficult life circumstances with the purpose of timely detection of the existing problems. It should be mentioned that we have the necessary methodologies and experience of implementation of similar projects at the national level. The main objective is that not a single child from a biological family, without substantial recommendations of social workers, would get into an orphanage. Rinat Akhmetov Foundation “Development of Ukraine” has been implementing the national program “No to orphancy!” since June 2008. In 2012 in Donetsk the Foundation pilot project was launched called “Save Family for the Child”. Due to support on part of the Foundation, 7 orphanages of family type were opened on the homeland of its founder Rinat Akhmetov, as well as Social House for Adolescents and Mother and Child Centre established. At the same time, greatly important is systemic work on preventing orphancy and developing family forms of upbringing with an active support from Donets RSA and Governor Andrei Shyshatskyi. The Memorandum is aimed to start systemic work in Donetsk region: reformation of orphanages and establishment of services for families bringing up children, training of social workers and development of regional NGO. – Donetsk region is the most populated region in Ukraine, in some measure, this is the reason why more than 8000 children in the region are raised in orphanages. This is a very high indicator. But it is important that we should not operate with figures or percentages, but the most important thing here is happy and healthy children, who need to be brought up in families, – said Andrei Shyshatskyi, Governor of Donetsk RSA. – I am glad that we can observe a high level of national adoption in the region – it has been the leader in this area since 2008 in Ukraine, 236 kids were adopted only in 2013. It should be noted that this success was much furthered by systemic work of Rinat Akhmetov Foundation “Development of Ukraine”. And the state authorities completely support initiatives of the private Foundation in the matters of solving the orphanhood issue. 92 orphanages operate in the region, among 8000 children living there more than 7000 kids are social orphans and live in orphanages while their parents are still alive. This is why the joint project “Meeting children” focuses on technologies of preventing social orphancy, and namely, establishing Centres for families with children offering various kinds of services on the basis of orphanages. Owing to support of Rinat Akhmetov Foundation “Development of Ukraine”, 2 such centres have been already established in Donetsk region, as a result, in 2013 at the Mother and Child Centre 19 cases of surrendering the newborns were prevented, and for the existence period of the Social house for adolescents 11 kids received qualified assistance and restored relations with their parents.